


Etude

by ahunmaster



Series: Ghost AU [5]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, Gender Bender, Genderbending, Music, Music Terms, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4868576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunmaster/pseuds/ahunmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A night of teaching Tailgate how to play piano has Cyclonus thinking about other matters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Etude

"Stop."

 

The music stopped as Tailgate paused.  "I-I'm sorry-"

 

"It's alright," he knew she knew it was because of that missed note from before, but he had other issues with her playing, "The note is understandable.  You'll need to learn how to move your hands fast enough to hit it and get it back in time to continue the piece, but that is not the problem."

 

"It-W-What d-did I do wrong?"

 

The ghostly pianist moved forward from his spot against the wall to stand behind the young woman.  "You were not following the sheet properly at the part before that."

 

"I-I wasn't?"

 

"No..." he pointed to the word on the sheet, "It says here play allego."

 

"Y-Yes... that means I have to play faster?"

 

"But you didn't."

 

"I-I didn't? But I was playing as fast as I could."

 

"No, you were playing in agitato.  You weren't so much playing faster as you were playing more excited, with more passion and anger."

 

"Oh..."

 

"It is fine, Tailgate.  You are still learning and this is a difficult piece.  Once you've master the notes better, you will be able to play it faster.  Now try again."

 

Nodding, the young woman turned back to the piano and started playing from the beginning again.

 

As she was doing this, Cyclonus watched as she played through the song.  It was an old one that he played often for the King and his subjects.  A complex, beautiful piece that only he had been able to master.

 

He had never taught anyone else how to play it.  He had not taught anyone else in general - he needed to keep his job as the King's pianist secure.  No need to teach another only to have them take his seat if he did something to displease King Megatron.

 

But five hundred years later, it didn't matter much.  And after waiting around in the afterlife for so long, he had needed something to do other than play the same songs to the castle's staff over and over again.

 

When Tailgate, the one of younger of the band of paranormal investigators, came and started to play with his piano with some form of mastery of the trade, he had finally decided to show himself to her.  Before, all other visitors, including the other women who had tapped at the keys, had only made him bitter and unwilling to indulge with the guests.

 

Tailgate... no, he hadn't told her off.  She had apologized for disturbing him, asking if this was his piano.  A smart woman... she could tell from his clothes that he was a pianist.

 

It had gotten off slower from there.  Cyclonus was never a people person and though he was willing to answer the woman's questions about who he was and his purpose for being here and all, he had disappeared after talking with her.

 

Eventually, after the other members of the castle started to take more interest with their new roommates, Cyclonus started to show himself more.  And even started to play his piano again after so long once he realized he had a new audience to play for.

 

Most of the time though, he either played for their 'equipment' or for her only.

 

He had been intrigued by Tailgate's personality.  Soft, kind, and gentle - not something that would seem right investigated paranormal activities such as himself and the rest of the castle.  And most definitely not someone who could play music with so much intensity and ferocity.  Something he had not expected when she had asked to practice her music on his piano.

 

But the music... it was so much different than what he had heard from when he was alive.  All of it so vivid, so foreign to his eyes when he looked over her shoulders to read her sheet music.  Joplin, Shostakovich, Cochran, Shimomura - all names he had never heard, yet their music... he could only marvel in their sounds as Tailgate played them with such mastered nativity.

 

It was what made him a little angry with her at first.  After being the one who could compose such wonderful music from this piano... for this woman... this woman who would have been considered low-born in his time to just come in and play such invigorating music.  For the castle staff to even come by to listen to her play?

 

Never had he wanted to lay his hands on a woman so badly.

 

The piano was his domain, the one thing he could have absolute mastery of in this bleak castle.  He bowed to his king, but his king had to acknowledge his mastery of the instrument.  It was he who played the music he wanted when his king asked for it.

 

Sometime, when he would hear her play her style on his piano, he wanted to seize her hands and force her to play the music how he wanted it played.  Play it right, play it like a master and not a novice.  Play it so that it would sound more like him rather than her playing it.

 

It made him angry with himself when he thought such things.  As a pianist, it was shameful to be jealous of another pianist's style.  Each master had their own method, own tone, their own signature whenever they laid their hands on the keys of a piano.

 

He didn't deserve the title of pianist master if a young novice got him all upset.

 

Cyclonus eventually learned to let Tailgate play the music her way.  And he had even opened up to helping her learn how to play better.  It made her music more refined and more beautiful when she played.

 

And that caused another problem to arise as her music got better.  As the young woman began to play her music with more mastery of the subject, he was starting to think... more angry thoughts about her.

 

No, he did not want to control her.  He knew better than to try to force her to play like he did.  No... he wanted more than that.  More than just the music.

 

For the pianist who had never been interested in people while he had been alive, suddenly wanting a woman as a ghost was out of the blue for him.  How had he gone from a celibate to now lusting after a young woman was beyond him, but he had to get it under control.

 

"M-Mr. Cyclonus?"

 

He blinked as he looked up at the young woman who had turned back to him.

 

"What is it?"

 

"I-I... I'm not sure how the music is supposed to go at this part," she turned to grab the sheet music and hold it out to him, "It says inquieto, but I'm not sure if that means quieter or to play it in a raging manner."

 

Taking a second to steady his breath, Cyclonus stepped closer to read the music quietly in his head before he moved to place the paper back on piano.

 

"It means to play the music in a restless manner.  Like this."

 

And as his fingers hit the keys, he felt more in control again.  When he was playing better than her, he was in control.  He was the master.

 

But he knew it wouldn't be long before she became the master as well.  And he didn't want to think of what he would do once she achieved that status in his eyes.

 

END


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